Feed woes and wins!

 On the Farm

Sometimes things just don't go according to plan...We knew that there would come a time that we would need to get poultry feed in bulk.  When I say "bulk", I am talking about tons of feed at a time.  If you go to the local farm store, you can buy 50 pound bags of feed.  We would go through a 50 pound bag of feed each day with all the ducks and chickens that Mark has.  We were buying 40 pound bags of feed from a local farmer and we were getting like 25 bags at a time.  This would last about a month and this is when Mark had 70some chickens and 40some ducks.  Since that time, we have added another 70some chickens.  The point is that this a lot of feed to move around by hand!  I started researching about feed bins and got in touch with a lady on a local Facebook homesteading group.  She sells feed and I was asking her about how she gets the feed and sorts it out for people.  She also had an egg business at the time, but has since sold her egg business.  She had a big portable grain bin and this seemed like a good way to go for buying feed.  She gave me the name of the individual that she purchased her feed bin from.

Three ton portable feed bin

Luckily, he was located in Post Falls, Idaho which is a couple hours north of where we live now.  We contacted the individual and set up a day and time to go and pick one up.  I also asked if he knew of any place where we could go and take it and get it filled!  He gave me the name of 3 local grain mills and I made some calls.  One of the mills was "kind of" on the way home so we set it up to get a ton of feed from them.  The portable feed bin holds 3 tons of feed but we could only afford to get one ton at the time.  I am going to call this first grain mill the "Valleyford" grain mill from now on (because it was located near a town called Valleyford).  

Filling the feed bin at Valleyford

There is a local grain mill that is only about 15 miles from our home.  BUT they are so popular that they have a wait list to get in and purchase feed from them!  We got on the wait list in January when we got our feed bin.  However, we were going to have to do something else in the meantime.  The individual that we were purchasing feed from in 40 pound bags stopped providing feed.  I literally got a text message from him while driving home with the new feed bin saying that he was getting out of the feed business.  Talk about timing!

Feed going into the feed bin

Okay...we got home with the grain bin and the feed.  This one ton would last about a month.  The Valleyford feed mill was 1 hour and 45 minute drive...one way!  I had been talking to another farmer that sells feed and they were much closer...about 40 minutes from our home.  It was a little challenging to work with him and he didn't always have feed but at one time it finally worked out that he had feed available and we needed some.  We headed out there to get a ton of feed.  We will call this one the Colfax grain mill.  The feed looked different and it had garbanzo beans in it.  They kept going on and on about how it was such good feed.  Colfax grain mill was cheaper and closer than the Valleyford feed mill so we decided to give it a try.  We brought it home and almost immediately, I realized that it was probably NOT even chicken feed.  No one would eat it...not the chickens and not the ducks.  They hated the garbanzo beans!  AND I don't think there was any minerals in it because we started getting soft shelled eggs.  I have no idea what they sold us but it was not good...and we had a ton of it!

The cats were very curious about the grain bin when we brought it home.

Shortly after getting this bad feed into the bin, I noticed another new local feed mill in our area.  It might sound odd but as the feed goes into the bin, the feed on the top actually get pulled through and comes out the bottom into the bucket first.  I say this to tell you that I had a great idea of putting some "good" feed on top of the bad feed and then it would "mix" together to kind of dilute the bad feed  as it came out the bottom of the bin.  We will call this one Garfield grain mill.  I asked what the price of a ton of feed was and it was a good price!  It was also fairly close...about 40 minute drive one direction.  We headed out and got the feed.  Then, we got the bill.  It was TWICE as much as I was expecting!  I think I even felt my heart skip a beat.  I almost wanted to cry...it was WAY more than we could hardly afford.  I asked for clarification.  See...I had asked for the price of a ton of feed.  She had replied with the cost of 1000 pounds.  If you didn't know, a ton is 2000 pounds.  SO...I thought I was getting a great deal on a ton of feed but it was only half of the price.  Does that make sense?  It was totally a miscommunication.  I just assumed that when I asked for the price of a ton of feed that she was giving the the cost of a ton of feed but her text clearly says 1000 pounds is $X amount.  It was super great feed but just way too expensive.  Like several hundred dollars more expensive than Valleyford grain mill.

We finally got through all the bad and expensive feed then needed more feed, naturally...the chickens and ducks want to eat every day...who knew.  We went back to Valleyford grain mill even though it takes a couple hours to drive there, an hour for the feed to load into the bin, and then a couple hour drive back.  It makes for a long day.  We even almost got into a super bad accident on the highway on the way there this time.  It is a little hard to explain but we had been following a truck hauling a boat for most of the way.  All of a sudden, I see them pull over onto the shoulder...remember, we are all driving 60 MPH.  The reason he hit the shoulder is because there was a truck stopped in the highway wanting to make a left hand turn in front of him.  I was trying to decide which one I wanted to hit because we were going WAY too fast to come to a stop.  I decided it was best to hit the boat but then at the last second I decided to go into the lane of the oncoming traffic.  LUCKILY, the car in the oncoming traffic realized what was happening and had pulled over onto their shoulder.  So, I flew through going about 40 MPH and we were all lined up 4 vehicles across the highway.  Then, the truck with the boat pulled in behind me and we just all kept going like it was supposed to happen that way.  My heart was pounding like a hundred miles a minute and I just could NOT believe that we didn't hit someone!  

A throwback pic of Mark feeding chickens!

Okay...back to the feed...the first batch of feed we got from Valleyford grain mill was ground up very fine and it kept getting like "stuck" in the bin.  I would have to open the top and climb up there and knock it down with a hoe.  Remember, this is back in the winter when things are cold and icy.  I did not like having to climb up the steel ladder and try to knock the feed down while balancing and trying not to fall down 10 feet to the ground below.  I asked if they could do a more course grind, hoping that it would flow out of the bin better and they were able to do that and it worked great! 

In late summer, we needed more feed and we went back up to Valleyford grain mill and I asked for the course grind.  Unfortunately, this time, the feed did not get ground up enough and we ended up with a lot of whole peas in the feed.  The poultry cannot eat whole peas so there was quite a bit of waste in this batch.  The whole peas would plug up the feeders and it was a mess.  You can see the peas in the bottom of this feeder...

I was going to have them just grind it up fine again the next time BUT WE FINALLY GOT THE TEXT THAT WE WERE OFF THE WAITLIST AT THE LOCAL GRAIN MILL!!!  This is such a blessing!  We can drive there, get the feed loaded and drive back home in less than an hour!  AND...it is the BEST feed!!!  The girls and ladies all LOVE it!  So happy!!!  Here is a close up of the feed that we have now...it is perfectly ground...

I know this blog has been a bit of a rant...who knew that getting feed for poultry could be so challenging!  I thought we were going to have to start our own grain mill business!  I hope this local grain mill never goes out of business!!!  I know there are lots of exclamation marks in this post too!!!  BUT we are SO happy!!!

Have an eggcellent day!

~Denise

Welsh Harlequin ducks??

 In the Coop

A couple of weeks ago, there was a post on a local homesteading Facebook page that a pair of ducks were available.  The breed is called Welsh Harlequin.  

I have always been interested in this breed for Mark's egg business.  Before we got any ducks, I spent a lot of time researching breeds.  The Welsh Harlequin is a great egg layer.  I started reading about hatching eggs to produce our own new ducklings and it got really complicated, very quickly.  To purchase a good incubator was very expensive (several hundred dollars).  Then, what would we do with the drakes (males - this was before we were processing meat chickens).  I then discovered the Golden Hybrid 300 egg laying ducks and this seemed to be a good way to go to get the egg business started.  But the idea of having our own breeding system to replace old layers never went out of my mind...a way of being more sustainable...

Then, last September, the opportunity came up to purchase some Khaki Campbell ducks and a drake (Dudley).  

Khaki Campbell ducks and drake

Khaki Campbells are well knows in the duck world as excellent egg layers.  I was told that the mother of the drake laid over 320 eggs in her first year.  That is a lot of eggs for one duck!  The plan was to sequester them into their own pen this last spring (2022) and let them hatch out some replacement ducks.  This just never happened because I got busy with the meat chickens earlier this year.  Also, we were getting SO many eggs this past summer (we had a 90% lay rate for much of the spring/summer!).  It did not seem like we needed more egg layers right away so that project got put on the back burner. 

One thing that bothers me about the Khaki Campbell and the Golden Hybrid 300 is that the ducks are high strung and energetic.  I have read that the Welsh Harlequin resulted from a couple mutant Khaki Campbell ducks that were bred specifically to create a new breed in 1949 so it is a relatively new breed.  The ducks are active but more docile.  I was talking with a women at the Farmers Market and she mentioned that she had some Welsh Harlequin and the drakes got larger than the Khaki Campbell drakes so that they are better for dressing out.  As soon as she said this, I knew that we had to get back to the original plan of growing out the Welsh Harlequin...

Female and male Welsh Harlequin ducks

The duck and drake that we purchased were hatched on the same day but I don't know if they are related.  I think it is safe to say that they probably are related.  Also, the female we got is all white.  The Welsh Harlequin I have seen online have creamy white heads with brown "stippling" which is a way of saying brownish spots all over them.  To introduce some variability and get back to the original breed description, we got some Welsh Harlequin ducklings!

Unfortunately, one of the ducklings passed yesterday.  So, we have 4 ducklings.  Another nice thing about the Welsh Harlequin is that you can sex them by the color of their bills when they are born!  So, it should be easy to separate out the drakes and grow them out for meat.  I actually had someone ask just last week if we had duck meat for sale.  I have also read that they pluck out more easily than other waterfowl.  This is a plus because I have read that plucking duck feathers is more challenging because their feathers are water resistant and harder to remove.  

We will probably not even be able to breed the Welsh Harlequin next summer because they are just ducklings and it takes several months for them to mature.  In the best case scenario, we will be able to breed them late next summer (about a year from now)...we will see...so that is our duck story and it may seem a little convoluted but sometimes that happens when you are figuring things out...

The days are getting shorter and I need to get the coop lighting set up...

Have an eggcellent day!

~Denise

Garden 2022

 In the Garden

The garden has been a little neglected this year because of the flower farming.  BUT...some things are finally starting to take off!  I know I probably sound like a broken record about this but the cool, wet spring really kept things from getting a good start.

My radishes grew well.  In fact, I had so many that I made some radish kimchi.  I liked it so much that I decided to plant some more radish called daikon radish and they grow like super big!  Like a foot long...we will see how this goes...

Cider enjoys hanging out in the garden!

Baby watermelon are so cute!  I think I saw a total of 4 watermelon growing...

Harvested this cabbage this last week and made a 1/2 gallon jar of sauerkraut.  It is fermenting now and will be finished next week...

The onions are doing well!

Here are the sweet potatoes.  I have tried to grow them the last 4 years with little success.  Feeling a little more optimistic this summer but we will see if there are any potatoes under those vines soon...

Some Jacob's Cattle Bens and celery in the background.

Pulled the garlic the end of July and it is about down drying down.

Basil and tomatoes!

Used the tall sunflowers as "poles" for some pole beans and I have just started harvesting some of the beans...

This cantaloupe vine looks amazing...waiting for the cantaloupes to develop! 

Tried a new heirloom zucchini variety called Cocozelle.  It is striped and we have too many!

The beet seeds got eaten by some birds so we only got a couple of beets.  I planted some more when I planted the daikon radish and they are coming up slowly.  Got a little bit of broccoli but then the flea beetles came in and demolished it.  Same with the kale and swiss chard...ugh...flea beetles!

Have an eggcellent day!

~Denise

Forever Flowers!

 In the Flower Garden

I know it has been a few weeks since I put out a blog post but things have been VERY busy!  Lots of planting and re-planting this past spring.  The weather was so wet and cool, it seems that it was hard for plants to get growing.  Decided to try and plant some everlasting flowers this year for something different.  They keep their color even when they are dried.  I picked 10 different flowers.  I only got 5 of them to grow.  That was a little disappointing at first but I have been so busy that I have not had much time to despair.  Here are a couple pics of some flowers that I have picked and are drying...

Now, let me back up and go through the flowers that grew!  Let me start with the Love Lies Bleeding which is a type of Amaranthus.  This is a type of pigweed.  I did my Masters thesis on identification of 10 different pigweeds so this one had a special place in my heart!  It was by far the largest plant.  It is in the background of this pic and it grew as tall as me.  

It produces these long, reddish flowing flower heads and they are so beautiful!  I took a bunch to the Farmers Market last time I went and someone walked by and offered to buy them.  Sold!

This flower is called Globe amaranth but it is not an Amaranthus species (at least I don't think so).  It's scientific name is Gomphrena.  There are little flowers and they have a really neat flower with lots of detail.  It reminds me of a round seashell pattern.  There are white and purple ones...

This flower is called Statice and I am REALLY liking it.  It has a unique growing pattern with a whorl at the bottom and then sends up the flower stalks.  They look like they belong in the desert or another planet...

I feel that a bouquet of them is pretty all by itself!  Ignore my dirty sleeve...LOL!

This is a type of Nigella and it is called Love in the Mist. The flowers are pretty but I don’t care for the way they dry down...

...BUT they do make some interesting seed pods though!

Here is a type of strawflower. It has single flower heads. The plants are pretty small and only about a foot tall. They dry nicely but are just so small I am not sure if they will work well in a larger bouquet but I am going to try and make some smaller ones. 

This is another type of strawflower and it has double flowers and is much larger than the first kind mentioned before this. I like it a lot better and I think it will look nice when dried!

Several of the flowers I planted did not grow. Among those were yarrow, baby’s breath, Flamingo flower, globe thistle and foxtail millet. The foxtail millet did not even germinate so I must have gotten some bad seed.  I was most disappointed that the yarrow didn’t grow because I really like yarrow and was hoping for some pink yarrow plants. 

Of course, the birds, butterflies and bees LOVE all the flowers!

The sunflowers are finally starting to grow too!

I am going to start attempting to put these bouquets together this week.  Wish me luck!  Hopefully, will be back with a garden post in a couple weeks...

Have an eggcellent day!

~Denise

Flavored vinegars and ACV drink recipes

 In the Kitchen

I posted about making apple cider vinegar (ACV) last November.  Then, at the end of winter, I made a post about foraging for pine needles and making pine needle vinegar.  This led me to looking into other types of flavored vinegars that could be made.  Wow!  What a rabbit hole!  You can make a flavored vinegar with just about anything!  It is actually quite simple.  You put the item that you want to flavor in a jar, fill it up with vinegar and then let it sit about 6 weeks to infuse.  You can speed up the process by heating the vinegar.  I don't want to heat the vinegar because I am going to be using the apple cider vinegar that I make from our apples.  This vinegar is "alive" because I ferment it myself and I want to keep this product raw so that there are probiotics in the ACV which is good for your gut health, microbiome and digestion!

Let's take a step back and look again at apple cider vinegar.  Basically, it is acetic acid.  It is the result of fermenting yeast and bacteria with a food/drink item.  I use apples for the food item but there are lots of different vinegars.  Red wine, white wine, grapes (balsamic), and rice vinegars just to name a few.  Yeast turns the sugar in the food item into alcohol and then bacteria converts the alcohol to acetic acid.  Just to be clear, I am making ACV from our apple trees and then flavoring the ACV with plants we grow on the farm.  

ACV is all natural and can be used as a home remedy for many ailments.  But not everything you read on the internet is true about ACV.  What is the scientific evidence for the benefits of ACV?  These five proven benefits with sufficient scientific evidence are taken from the MedicineNet article 20 Benefits of drinking Apple Cider Vinegar:

1. Lower the blood glucose level: There is enough scientific evidence that ACV regulates the blood sugar level in diabetes; however, it shouldn’t replace the medications. Adding ACV as a part of an anti-diabetic diet may help to control the blood sugar level.

2. Weight loss: Researches have stated that ACV helps in weight management, lowering lipid levels, and prevents fat deposition around the organs.

3. Antibacterial: ACV has multiple antimicrobial properties on different microbial species, affecting its growth.

4. Boost skin health: ACV kills the bacteria and prevents the infection on the skin, thus helping in enhancing skin health.

5. ACV helps in detoxification of the body.

It is important to dilute ACV before consuming it.  Put 1-2 tablespoons of ACV in 1 cup of water.  ACV shouldn’t be directly applied to the skin as it can damage the skin.  I am drinking some of the pine needle vinegar in a glass of warm water this morning as I am finishing this blog post.  Make sure to use warm (not HOT) water or the hot water will kill the probiotics you are trying to consume.

Drinking straight ACV can be a little sour tasting. You can add a couple drops of sweetener to balance out the acidity. You can also add other ingredients to make a healthy drink.  Here is a great recipe for using ACV in a morning drink from NuVision: 

Apple Cider Vinegar Berry Lemonade

2 tbsp of berries (like strawberries) 

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice 

2 cups water

Place the berries in the bottom of your cup 

Add in your ACV, lemon juice, and sweetener if using. Fill the cup up with ice and add in enough water to fill the rest of the cup. Stir and enjoy! 

You can also add a few drops of raw honey or stevia if you prefer more sweetness in your drink. This drink is not only delicious, but the ingredients will also provide helpful benefits to start your day off right. Berries are low in calories, yet packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber, and other powerful nutrients and vitamins. These components will replenish your electrolytes, give your immune system a boost and the fiber will help you feel full by delaying the movement of food through your digestive tract. Along with the berries, lemon juice is another great addition to this beverage. Lemon juice has been shown to ease bloating, improve digestion, and even promote detoxification, which makes it a great option for a detox drink. Lemon juice contains helpful vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folate, and potassium. Consuming this drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach will further promote these benefits. These ingredients make it a great apple cider vinegar recipe for weight loss, and overall health. 

Okay, let's get back to talking about flavored vinegars.  As I mentioned before, you can use almost anything to flavor vinegar...fruit, flowers, herbs, vegetables and a combination of these items!  I plan on experimenting with many different flavors this year.  I already started another batch of pine needle vinegar.  My chives are getting ready to flower and I am going to start some chive flower vinegar soon.  Also, I just made some rose petal jelly last week and I am thinking of making some rose petal vinegar now!  Here is a great website with some ideas for making 9 flavored vinegars.

How else can you use ACV?

* Use ACV as a substitute for plain vinegar in any cooking recipe

* Use ACV instead of lemon juice in homemade mayonnaise

* Homemade Broth – add a tablespoon of ACV to your bones to help get the minerals out

* Make salad dressing:

2/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well. Store in the refrigerator. Just before serving, shake dressing again.

* Water Bath Canner or Steamer Juicer – I add a tablespoon of ACV to the water in my canner/juicer to keep the minerals from building up inside

* Fruit Fly Traps – I just pour some in a small dish and keep it near my composting container on my counter. I also add a couple drops of dish soap to the dish.

* Vinegar is an acid and is great for cleaning because it kills microorganisms

Homemade Natural Cleaning Products

Make your own all-purpose cleaner with one part water and one part ACV. Use it to clean hard surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom, including countertops, hard water stains, and drains.

Daily Shower Cleaner

1.5 cups water

1 cup vinegar

1/2 cup rubbing alcohol

1 teaspoon liquid dish soap (I like this kind– affiliate link)

15 drops lemon essential oil (these are my favorite essential oils ever)

15 drops melaleuca (tea tree) essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together in a quart-sized spray bottle.

Shake well, and spray onto shower surfaces every day after use.

Remember–this is designed as a maintenance spray, so I would suggest starting with a clean shower first. It won’t remove built-on grime by itself, it’ll just slow down the process.

Homemade Hair Rinses

After shampooing, just mix equal parts apple cider vinegar and water, massage into your hair, and rinse off. It helps remove buildup, it also works as a natural detangler and general scalp revitalizer. Best not to use this hair rinse if you have color treated hair.

Foot Soak

Mix equal parts apple cider vinegar and warm water with a tablespoon of Epsom salt. Soak your feet in the bath for 20 minutes. After soaking, rinse off feet and coat your feet in a hydrating cream, put on a pair of socks, and let the lotion sit on them overnight.

Have an eggcellent week!

~Denise

Spring 2022 update and phenology...Joshua graduating from high school this week!

 On the Farm

Just going to do a little update about what is happening on the farm...mostly planting!  We have had an unseasonably cold spring this year.  It has delayed planting of pretty much everything until the past couple of weeks.  I remember in past years planting in April and just crossing my fingers that everything would be okay but I didn't dare do that this year.  As soon as it looked like there were no freezing temps in the 10 day forecast, I started planting.  

Here is a pic of something new I am trying this year...Pink Celery!  Celery is actually pretty easy to grow and I have grown regular old green celery for several years.  I have canned my own cream of celery soup to use in casseroles the past couple years.  I saw the seed for this pink celery and decided to give it a try...so cute!

The geese are doing great!  Can you believe they are only 7 weeks old!  They only have a few baby feathers left on their necks.  They are learning how to go into their mobile coop at night and come out in the morning.  Golly the Gander is really good at going in at night now.  The first few nights I had to catch them and put them in but now they walk up the ramp themselves.

They love their pool but it is a little small for them.  I have a bigger pool to get out but just haven't found the time to drag it out of the barn.

The apple trees finally started blooming a couple weeks ago and the bees are out.  All 3 of our hives made it through the winter.  This is pretty amazing.  I really was just hoping at least 1 would make it.  Most of the time you can expect about half of your hives to not make it through the winter.

I moved the worms out to their summer home...the bathtub that we converted to a worm bin.  They will stay out here until the freezing weather returns.  I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of worms that I had in my bin in the house...

They will love it in the bathtub and will have lots of room to expand and grow.  I love the vermicompost that I can collect at the end of the season.

I have been working on expanding the flower farm.  I got the weed mat down and burned holes in it.  I did get some flowers planted but still have about half of it to go...

Phenology

I find phenology fascinating and I always think that I am going to follow this advice but then life happens and I just get so busy and want to get it all planted!  One aspect of phenology is looking to (mostly perennial) plants to give you cues as to when to plant your garden.  In a broader sense, phenology also encompasses bird migration, fall leaf color, insect emergence, etc...

Taken from almanac.com:

"Phenology is the study of cyclical natural phenomena and events—from bud burst to bird migration—and then letting nature’s timing help you understand when to plant and harvest. Native and ornamental plants act as nature’s “alarm clock” by signaling that temperatures and precipitation are optimal for planting.

Since average frost dates are just an estimate, observing the plant and animal activity can be very helpful. While not totally foolproof, following nature’s clock helps us tune in to the rhythm of life around us."

Here are some examples...sorry, not the best quality pic but I think you can read it if you make it larger...

When I asked Henry if he knew about phenology he said he did and gave me this example:  it is time to put out a preemergence herbicide for crabgrass when the forsythia bloom.  I had heard earlier this spring that it is time to hunt for morels after you have cut your grass 2 times.  

Do you use any phenology when you plant your garden?

Have an eggcellent day!

~Denise

Joshua is graduating from high school on Wednesday!